Newly-amended Criminal Procedure Law to take effect

China's Criminal Procedure Law, which was newly amended earlier this year to highlight human rights protection, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2013.

Following the previous revision 16 years ago, the newly-amended law include the phrase "respecting and protecting human rights" in its first chapter and contains numerous detailed articles aimed to ensure the benefits of suspects and the justice of law enforcement work.

The law stipulates that a suspect should be informed of the right to appoint an attorney from the first instance he or she is interrogated by investigating organs or is subject to mandatory measures, altering the old version which stated that a suspect could only have a defense counsel when the case is handed over to prosecutors.

Meanwhile, law enforcement entities should ensure that lawyers meet their clients within 48 hours of receiving a request to do so, and the lawyers have the right to understand main facts pertaining to the suspect or defendant's crimes and provide legal consultation.

Lawyers' meeting with their suspects or defendants should not be monitored or recorded, said the law.

Jiang Bixin, Vice President of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said the newly-amended law urged various courts to uphold the value of a formal procedure when handling a case, providing equal protections for people on the bright side of the law and those on the other side.